Google said it is joining forces with the frame maker behind Ray-Ban and other brands to create and sell Glass Internet-linked eyewear in the US.
The California-based company billed the partnership with Luxottica as its “biggest step yet into the emerging smart eyewear market.''
Luxottica brands include Oakley, Alain Mikli, Ray-Ban, and Vogue-Eyewear.
The announcement in a Google blog post came as the company sought to burnish the Glass image ahead of its expected debut in the US market this year.
In February, Google gave early adopters of its internet-connected eyewear a bit of advice: don't be “Glassholes.''
It was the final suggestion in a recommended code of conduct posted online for software developers and others taking part in an Explorer program providing early access to Google Glass.
Google early this year unveiled a partnership with US vision insurer VSP to make prescription Glass and to reimburse some of the costs under health benefits.
That does not include the US$1,500 price for Glass, which is in a test phase with a small number of “explorers.''—AFP